Page 52 of Fly Boy
“Of course, and it doesn’t hurt that she’s got the three-time U.S. Competition winner and onetime Olympic skater Evan Thomson as her other half.”
“Luke, you’re only as strong as your weakest link, and Pippa is proving she’s got what it takes to go the distance, in my opinion.”
“Evan, I can’t do this,” I whisper as nerves rack my body. “I fucked up the triple toe loop yesterday. I misjudged the takeoff and under-rotated. I—”
“Hey,” he snaps, cutting me off mid-spiral. “I messed up the triple Lutz. I didn’t get enough height and landed before you.” Smiling softly, he leans back to look at me as he gives my neck a reassuring squeeze. Chuckling lightly, he says, “Could you imagine if we did them back-to-back like you wanted? I doubt we’d even place if we did that.”
“I doubt we’ll place now.”
“Such drama,” Evan exclaims, taking my face in both hands, his gaze serious as he lowers himself to look into my eyes. “If we go home empty-handed, that’s still fucking amazing. This is your first major event, Pippa. You made it to the final with a silver and gold medal under your belt.” My shoulders lose some of their tension as I swallow. “But we’ve got a chance to bring it back with the free skate now. Did we not nail our jumps in practice this morning?”
“We did.”
“Then we’ve got this.” Evan gives me another supportive smile, moving his thumbs to the corners of my mouth and pulling my lips up. I bat him away, ready to step back, when he grabs me and wraps his arms around my waist, repeating, “We’ve got this, babe.”
“The new duo has just clicked from the moment they got onto the ice together, that’s for sure. Evan’s always had the ability to boost his partner, but in such a short time, we’ve seen how Pippa has been doing the same thing for him. Their chemistry is unremarkable for the two Olympic hopefuls.”
“I couldn’t agree more, Luke. And that will work in their favor for their performance score. But not only will they be assessed on that, the technical elements are also crucial, something they might struggle with after their stumble with their synchronized jumps yesterday.”
“Well, we’re about to find out as Pippa Cartwright and Evan Thomson take to the ice.”
The spotlight lands directly on top of us as we glide into the middle of the rink, the arena falling silent. Or maybe it’s the whooshing of my blood in my ears that drowns everything out. You could hear a pin drop as Evan’s hands land on my hips, my back to him, our heads lowered as we wait for the opening chords of our chosen song.
“What a beautiful start to their routine. A synchronized step sequence into a double Axel. Their ability to mirror each other truly shows just how much these two are in sync.”
“They’ve really got into a flow with this routine right from the get-go. And would you look at the height Pippa reaches in the throw triple loop? It's a perfect execution, both on take-off from Evan and landing by Pippa herself.”
Skating backward, Evan takes my hand, nodding subtly to let me know he’s ready. He bends, his hand flexing around my hip and thigh as I reach for his shoulder, preparing to jump.
“And there it is… Absolutely stunning, Jessica.”
“Look at the concentration on Evan’s face as he holds Pippa effortlessly in the air, their bodies aligned perfectly.”
“This lift is a thing of beauty, the symmetry of their pair as she extends her legs outward, her free arm stretched out at an exact angle to Evan’s. The entire arena is captivated by them, and it’s not hard to see why, as she dismounts with the control and precision of a seasoned skater.”
The audience and judges disappear as we continue to skate, the music soft and melodic as we tell a story with our bodies, our moves, our blades. No one else exists but Evan and me. The cold chill from the air is electric as we near the final section of our piece. My heart thrashes as my skin tingles with adrenaline. The dark green diamantes twinkle off Evan’s chest, the same way I know mine will be as I skate toward him.
He winks as he gets into position behind me, his hands back on my waist. “Ready?”
“And now we’re into the final throw and, oh my god, that was nearly flawless. The way Evan propelled Pippa into the air…giving her the height and momentum she needed to complete the full three and a half rotations for her to land on her single skate and move into the last synchronization flow before the finish.”
“I'll be very surprised if we don’t see them with a medal at the end of this.”
“What a spectacular display of strength and technical skill from the pair. I’d be very happy if I were them.”
Chapter Nineteen
Orléans is lit upfor Christmas, and I don’t enjoy a single second because I’m locked in my hotel room, streaming Pippa’s competition. She and Evan are amazing, better than everyone else by far. I can’t tear my eyes from my laptop screen as they finish their routine, their heads held high as they breathe like they’ve been doing a marathon.
They skate toward the edge of the rink, and the camera pans to a different couple as they prepare to take to the ice. I close the laptop, uncaring about anyone else. They don’t come close to the girl who occupies my mind for more hours in the day than I’d like to admit.
We should never have agreed to one night. We should never have agreed to anything at all.
Grabbing my key card from the table next to the window, I leave my room and head for the hotel bar. The elevator doorsping open, and I step out into the lobby, looking around for signs to the closest bar. It’s packed, filled with skaters, families, and spectators here for the Grand Prix final.
“Ah, Wyatt, good to see you,” Mr. Cartwright says, rounding a corner with Nancy on his arm. They’re dressed to the nines, the epitome of money, as my boss holds out his hand.
“Good evening, sir. How was the competition?” I ask, shaking it and acting like I don’t know how well his daughter performed today.
